1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to new methods and processes which can be used in the cleaning of articles, especially those soiled with pigment soil, and in particular, the washing or cleaning of all types of articles wherein soil-collecting agents are employed enabling the reduction in demand for conventional detergent components. Textile laundering is one of the most important application areas of the novel methods.
2. Description of Related Art
The subject matter of prior German patent application No. P 35 45 990.5 relates to the use of polyfunctional quaternary ammonium compounds (PQUATs) which are insoluble in aqueous surfactant laundering or cleaning solutions even under the temperature loads of the laundering process and/or are present in immobilized form on solids correspondingly insoluble in these aqueous solutions, as particulate soil-collecting cleaning enhancers in aqueous surfactant laundry and cleaning solutions, and which can be removed manually and/or mechanicallly from the materials to be cleaned after laundering or cleaning. In said earlier application, the laundering power enhancement of conventional aqueous, alkaline textile detergent solutions through the use of such PQUAT soil collectors is particularly described. At least a considerable fraction of the soil solubilized during textile laundering, especially pigmented soil, is taken up by the PQUAT present in a solid phase and thus ultimately transferred from the originally contaminated textile material to be cleaned to the soil collector. In this way, under selective conditions, an increase in the reflectance value of the laundered material can be established.
The teaching of earlier German patent application No. P 36 05 716.9 modifies the use of such PQUATs which are insoluble in aqueous laundering and cleaning solutions and/or are present in immobilized form on solids correspondingly insoluble in these aqueous solutions, in such a way that the new PQUAT-containing auxiliaries are used for at least partial regeneration of soil-loaded cleaning baths, especially for their subsequent reuse. More particularly, according to the teaching of said prior disclosure, especially aqueous, alkaline, if desired surfactant-containing cleaning baths, especially laundering solutions from textile laundering, can be subjected to regeneration in such a way that either during textile laundering and/or subsequent thereto the soiled cleaning bath is treated with the insoluble or immobilized PQUAT and thus at least partly freed from solubilized soil, especially pigmented soil. The laundering solution treated in this way can be reused, for example, within the process of textile laundering. Details on the afore-mentioned teachings may be obtained from these two prior applications Nos. P 35 45 990.5 and P 36 05 716.9, and they also have applicability within the framework of the present invention specification, unless otherwise mentioned herein.